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Author Notes:I have fond memories of eating this cheesecake whenever I visited my grandparents in Florida: my grandmother loved both making and eating it. It's crustless, and the ricotta renders it light and airy - deceptively so, since more than one piece is pretty much a recipe for a heart attack. I topped this version with candied lemon slices (adapted from Martha Stewart) and a raspberry jam glaze because I made it in winter; it is, of course, lovely with fresh berries as well. —ArchaeoCook

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Serves 10-12

Ricotta Cheesecake

1
pound fresh ricotta

1
pound cream cheese

2
cups sour cream

4
eggs, room temperature

1 1/2
cups granulated sugar

2
tablespoons flour

2
tablespoons cornstarch

2
tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2
teaspoons vanilla or brandy

Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Cream the cheeses and sour cream together in a mixer, then add the eggs one at a time, beating about 15 seconds after each addition. Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla.

Whisk the flour, sugar, and cornstarch together in a medium bowl and add gradually to the wet ingredients, with the mixer on low. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the pan on a rack in the middle of a cold oven, and set the oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the cake inside for 2 more hours. Do NOT open the oven door at any point during these 3 hours or your cake will fall and you will be sad (though I know from personal experience that fallen cake does still taste good).

Remove from the oven and put the cake directly into the fridge.

For the Decorations

2/3
cup seedless raspberry jam

1
lemon

1
cup sugar

1
cup water

For the glaze: Melt the jam over medium heat, whisking steadily. Pour it over the cake so it covers the top but does not flow down the sides, and let it set.

For the lemon slices: Slice the lemon on a mandoline, or cut it as thin as possible by hand. Blanch the slices in boiling water for a minute, then plunge them into ice water. Dissolve the sugar in the cup of water over medium heat in a wide skillet. Keep the syrup simmering and add the lemon slices in a single layer. Cook for about an hour, until translucent, then let the slices cool on parchment before topping the cake with them.